Page 25

Chapter 24

Callan

C allan rode atop a white horse as their company made their way to the castle some time after mid-day. With the kingdom favoring the night, they started everything a little later in the morning. Apparently that included lunch being served mid-afternoon rather than at mid-day.

He’d come downstairs, Magdalena directing him to the dining room for breakfast, but when he’d gotten there, only the Earth Prince and Drake were there. He’d been told the others had already eaten. Some had gone to the other estate to check in on the children and other Fae, Tava included, and others had gone into the capital to explore. Although, “explore” was probably an inaccurate term. They had gone to scout out the terrain, spy, and gather as much information as they could.

Callan had opted to stay at the original estate and help where hecould. After nearly ten minutes of insisting he could help, Magdalena ?nally relented, and he had been assigned the task of helping to bring fresh towels to all the rooms. It was a simple task that gave him something to focus on and kept him moving. Idleness just had him reliving that throne room these days, and if not that, his conversation with Tava on that ship nearly a week ago. Both memories made it hard to breathe. Both memories were unbearable, just in different ways.

The further inland they moved, the denser the fog was becoming. It wasn’t really fog. Callan just couldn’t quite wrap his mind around what it actually was.

Black mist. Shadows and darkness like Scarlett could summon to her ?ngertips. If there had been any doubt about her being Avonleyan, it was gone now.

Not only was she Avonleyan, but she was the sister of the king, if he was to be believed. An Avonleyan princess. The irony that she had gone from a mystery woman who had moved among the shadows, that he would have never truly been able to be with and maintain his throne, to a lost princess of a nearly mythical kingdom across the sea was not lost on him.

She rode on her own horse today, Sorin on one side and Cassius on the other. Their escorts, soldiers from the Avonleyan forces, led the way. Two in the front of their group and two behind them. Tava had opted to stay behind, Drake saying she had insisted she was not needed for such a meeting and that it was not her place to be there.

Except that if they’d still been courting, if he could get out of his own godsdamn head, it would be her place as his future queen.

The path they were following seemed to grow steadily steeper until suddenly it was like crossing a veil. One moment, the “fog” was so thick, he could hardly see the road they traveled on. The next, it cleared as if it had never been there.

Callan looked back over his shoulder, a wall of misty fog rose up at their backs. Facing forward, he looked up at the castle that was before them. It was nestled into the mountains, the mountains themselves as black as the night. The castle itself was a grey so dark it was nearly black, but seemed to shimmer slightly in the sunlight. The front had three separate archways, side-by-side, various towers rising up behind them and reaching towards the clear sky. Somehow, the black mountains and grey castle were elegant against the blue expanse rather than a dark stain like one would expect. More towers ?anked the main ones, various buildings visible, but more than that were the winding steps that led up to the building. The steps crossed over a ravine of sorts that Callan could assume ran deep. As the horses made their way across the now somewhat rocky road, they came to a stop at what was clearly a guard post.

“We have to walk across that?” Scarlett asked. Callan could hear the frown in her voice.

“We usually Travel,” one of their escorts at the front answered, dismounting and passing the reins to a waiting stable hand. “We were told you would likely not agree to such a thing.”

“And the horses?” Rayner asked, still seated atop his brown horse. “The guards will watch them until you are ready to return.”

Sorin and Scarlett were doing their silent communication thing, judging by the way they were looking at each other, and Callan sti?ed the sigh he wanted to let out. He hadn’t slept well. Again. They’d been woken in the middle of the night on the ships, and then he’d been assigned a small suite. While it had been nice to ?nally have somewhat spacious quarters again, it still provided only his nightmares to keep him company in the quiet hours of the night.

The trek across the stair-bridge took another ten minutes, everyone silent as they moved. The black mist was so thick in the ravine that Callan couldn’t tell how far down it went, but he was more than glad to step off the damn bridge when they reached the other side.

They were escorted through the main doors of the castle, and the inside was tasteful and inviting. Light grey marble ?oors were offset by the walls the same color as the outside of the castle. Sconces every few feet cast a soft glow along with the windows that let in the natural light. There were soft white window curtains tied back with silver cords. It was all re?ned and far warmer than Callan was expecting.

They were led up a set of stairs to a second-?oor council room by one of the soldiers, who informed them King Cethin would be there shortly. The table was laden with various food choices, and Scarlett immediately moved forward, snagging a seat near the head of the table and reaching towards a platter of what appeared to be roast beef.

“Perhaps we should wait for Cethin?” Sorin asked, lowering into a chair beside her.

She proceeded to pile meat onto her plate before reaching for another plate of roasted vegetables. “We were invited for lunch, and I am hungry.”

“We did eat breakfast,” Sorin said while simultaneously handing her a piece of toasted bread.

“And then we trained,” Scarlett countered. She motioned to the other chairs around her, looking over her shoulder as she took a bite of bread. “Sit and eat,” she said to everyone else. “I am the princess, apparently. It will be ?ne.”

Her Court seemed content enough with that explanation and moved to take seats at the table. Prince Azrael and Auberon were a little more hesitant, but ultimately followed suit, leaving Callan and Drake to do the same.

Callan was bringing a forkful of rice to his mouth when the doors opened and the king strode in with Razik at his side, along with a couple others and... a mortal.

Callan slowly lowered the fork still full of rice back to his plate. Callan wasn’t quite sure how he knew the man was mortal. He had the rounded ears of humans, not that such a thing was a clear indicator anymore. Cassius had rounded ears instead of the arched ears of the Fae and Avonleyans, apparently taking after the High Witch in that regard. He was wearing brown pants with a ?nely crafted red tunic, gold threads running through it. His sandy blonde hair curled around his ears, and he had dark navy blue eyes. He moved casually enough that he was obviously comfortable among the royalty in the room. So the question remained: what was a mortal doing with the king of Avonleya?

The Fae around him had all gone still, the preternatural way only the Fae could achieve, as they took in the newcomers, eyes narrowed and calculating.

“Good afternoon,” Cethin said, moving straight to the head of the table and sitting down, Scarlett at his left. Razik moved to the seat at his right, the rest of their company following suit. “Are the lunch options to your satisfaction?” There was mirth in the small smile on his lips, Scarlett taking a bite from a roast beef sandwich as she watched him.

“It will do,” she agreed, sucking juice from her thumb, and even after being around her constantly for so long now, her lack of propriety in front of royalty still somehow shocked him. He knew she had manners and could show respect, but it had to be earned ?rst and that was not an easy feat with the queen. Princess? What exactly would she be considered at this point?

“Gentlemen,” Cethin said, his gaze staying ?xed on Scarlett. “May I introduce Scarlett Aditya, Fae Queen of the Western Courts across the sea, and her husband and twin ?ame, Sorin Aditya, Prince of the Fire Court and King of the Western Courts.”

“Again, we appreciate your willingness to be ?exible with our accommodations last night,” Sorin said, nodding toward the Avonleyan company. Scarlett, however, was staring at Cethin, her nose slightly scrunched and eyes narrowed on her supposed brother.

“Right then,” Scarlett said, clearing her throat as she settled back into her seat. “You apparently already know Cassius. He is my Guardian and Hand-to-the-Queen.” She paused, her features hardening as she pinned Razik in her silver stare. Razik didn’t seem to notice, his eyes ?itting over Cassius once before moving on to Cyrus beside him. “Next to him is Cyrus, Second in the Fire Court.”

She continued on, introducing the Fae Princes, the rest of the Fire Court, Auberon, and Sawyer. Cethin and Razik didn’t say anything, absorbing the information. Cethin’s eyes kept darting back to Scarlett as she spoke, as if he couldn’t quite believe she was really sitting there. Maybe he couldn’t. How long had he known about her? Known his sister was across the Edria Sea and he couldn’t get to her? Help her? Save her? Callan would do anything for Eva; he could only imagine Cethin felt the same way.

“King Callan Solgard of Windonelle,” Scarlett said, reaching him in the line down the table. “His sister, Princess Eva, is with the other children. Next to him is Lord Drake Tyndell.”

“Tyndell?” the mortal man said, his head tilting in interest. He was the ?rst to speak since Scarlett had started introductions. “You are Lady Tava’s brother then?”

Drake stiffened beside him. “How do you know my sister?”

“I met her this morning,” the man answered, a warm smile ?lling his face. “I make it a point to know the people who enter my home, especially a Lady as bright as your sister.”

“You own the estate the children are staying at?” Sorin asked.

Cethin cleared his throat. “I thought you would want to meet the owner of the home where your people are staying. Allow me to introduce Hale Coventry.”

Callan lurched forward. “Coventry?”

A small smile pulled at Cethin’s lips, his attention shifting away from Scarlett. “I thought if anyone would recognize the name, it would be you.”

“Callan?” Scarlett asked.

“Coventry is the name of the last Toreall ruling family.”

“Before Alaric put a Maraan on the throne,” Scarlett clari?ed.

Callan nodded, studying the man seated on the other side of the table. It wasn’t possible. He couldn’t be any older than late twenties, possibly early thirties. The last Coventry king died without an heir or siblings more than seven decades ago, paving the way for the current king.

Scarlett turned back to Cethin. “Is he related to the Coventry line?”

Cethin glanced between her and Hale, and the man nodded his head before Cethin said, “He is the Coventry bloodline. His grandfather was the last Coventry king to hold the throne of Toreall.”

“Bullshit,” Callan said, unable to keep the curse from ?ying out of his mouth. “How? How is that possible?”

“My grandfather became suspicious of the Commander of his forces some time before his death. From what my father told me, he sent my grandmother and him away a week before his life was taken from him,” Hale explained. He was relaxed and casual, clearly at home here. His features were solemn as he spoke though, and Callan wondered how often he’d told this story. Did the people of Avonleya know his true heritage?

“Of course, my grandmother and father were hunted down as the queen and prince. Whoever had done this wanted the bloodline wiped out. They were in a small hunting cabin in the Xylon Forest, only the King’s Hand with them. Supposedly it was a cabin no one else knew about, but they were found. It was burned with them still inside it until even the ashes were nothing. They had tried to hide my father, shoving him into a small space that was beneath the ?oor. It was meant to be a hiding space, but it would not have kept him from ?ames.”

“Then how did he survive?” Sorin asked, his tone grave as he listened to the story.

Hale smiled, a sad tilt of his lips. “Apparently, a beautiful Fae who could walk among the winds appeared in the small space with him. She held her hand to his mouth, giving him fresh air to breathe, while her winds kept the ?re from them.”

“Ashtine,” Briar breathed. He sat forward, hands coming to the top of the table. “Are you telling me Princess Ashtine saved your father?”

Hale nodded. “Whether or not she knew who she saved, I do not know.”

“If the winds called her there, she would have gone. Whether she knew the reason or not,” Briar said, sitting back once more, his eyes going distant. It wasn’t hard to work out that his thoughts were back home with the princess he loved.

“She stayed with him, helping to keep him hidden when the soldiers searched the burned remains for survivors. I suspect she helped make them believe they found evidence of three bodies as well,” Hale continued. “After that, she helped him ?nd shelter in northern Toreall. He eventually met my mother, and I came along, but she died during childbirth. He had plans to take back the throne, until he suddenly found himself a single father.

“Then, twenty years ago, another silver-haired woman came to him, her own belly round with child. I was nine. She came to my father and told him she knew who he was, that she could help restore his bloodline to his throne, but that he would need to come to Avonleya until the time came. Of course, he did not believe her. She gave him a deadline, said she would come for his answer soon, and whatever he decided would seal his fate and mine. She would never be able to offer him this again.”

Callan had been subtly watching the others while Hale spoke, and Scarlett’s face had gone pale the more he spoke. Sorin had reached over, his hand covering hers where it gripped the arm of the chair she was seated in. Cassius was leaning over, whispering something into her ear, but she gave no inclination that she heard him. She was ?xed on Hale, drinking in every word.

“When she came again, I was ten. It was a few months after that. She was no longer with child and did not have one with her. To this day, I do not know what made him change his mind, what made him believe her, but we left that night. She carried us both through the air, Traveling I later learned, to a ship outside these wards where Altaria met us with a vial that she poured into the black waters to let us in. I have been here ever since. My father passed a few years ago, and I have been waiting and preparing for when I can go back and take back the throne, to free my people from chains they do not even know they bear.”

All this time, for years, it had been drilled into him that the Fae wanted to enslave the mortals, to take over their lands. Callan blinked at the realization that such a thing had already happened. Their greatest fears had come to fruition, only no one realized it yet. It had been so subtly and artfully done. But it wasn’t the Fae. Never had been the Fae. He had to appreciate the brilliance of the various pieces that had been put into place and carefully calculated to make all this happen, even if the mortals had only been pawns this entire time.

The room had gone quiet when Hale had ?nished speaking, everyone lost in their thoughts until Cyrus spoke.

“I do not understand. If you all can come and go from the wards whenever you wish, why have you let the Maraans run wild across the sea? If you could come for him, why not save the Rydeon bloodline as well? Why not aid the Fae? Why not aid us ? You clearly knew everything that was happening there based on the interactions between... ” He gestured between Scarlett and Cethin.

“Because we cannot come and go as we please,” Cethin answered. “At least we could not until recently. I control who enters the Wards, but none of us can leave. Not without the other Avonleyan key.”

Scarlett was shaking her head. “We do not have the keys. I altered them. Instead of unlocking the wards, they locked the rips Alaric had created and lifted the wards con?ning the Witches and Shifters.”

Cethin’s knowing smile was identical to one he’d seen on Scarlett’s face numerous times in the last year. “Those keys were the work around, in case the original keys could not be used. There is always a work around when it comes to magic.”

“Yes, yes,” Scarlett muttered, her hand waving off the comment. “So the work around is no longer an option. What is the plan now? You let us in. How do we get out? If you are about to tell me you trapped us here and I can no longer aid my allies across the sea, our supposed connections will not save you from what I will do.”

Cethin’s smile turned razor sharp, the same darkness on Scarlett’s face mirrored on his. “Do not mistake my patience—”

“Patience?” Scarlett repeated incredulously, moving as if she were about to rise to her feet. “I have been across the godsdamn sea trying to put together a picture without all the pieces. Do not speak to me of patience.”

“Maybe this discussion is a more suitable one for when you two do not have an audience?” Razik cut in dryly, sounding truly bored.

“Why is that?” Scarlett sneered. “Afraid some secrets will be exposed?” A crease formed on the male’s brow, confusion etching across his face.

“No. This just sounds like it is a personal squabble between you two, and I have better things to do than sit here and listen to you try to work through your petty differences. I would guess everyone else at this table does too. So can we discuss matters that involve all of us, and then you two can go off and have a heart-to-heart or whatever the fuck you need to do?”

“Raz,” Cethin sighed, hand rubbing at his brow.

Razik settled back in his chair, giving a dramatic wave of his hand, motioning for him to go on.

“These matters would be better discussed at another time,” Cethin ?nally agreed. “Scarlett, I was hoping you and Sorin would join me for a private dinner tonight.”

“Me and Sorin?” she repeated.

“I am not fool enough to try to separate you from your husband. Fae males are far too protective and possessive, let alone the fact that he is also your twin ?ame,” Cethin said.

“Are Avonleyan males not the same?” she asked, her head tilting to the side.

“We are,” Cethin agreed. “Which is why I know if I tried to see you without him or someone else from your Court present, I would ?nd myself at odds with your entire side of the table.”

He is not wrong , Callan thought, watching the conviction of that statement pass over all the faces of the Fae.

“Fine,” Scarlett ?nally conceded. Her ?ngers drummed on the table, her chin propped on her other hand. “I do not suppose you have a secret Rydeon heir hidden around here somewhere as well?”

The soft smile was back on Cethin’s face. “No. Unfortunately, we learned of that loss too late.”

Scarlett jerked her chin at the rest of the people across the table from her. “Who are they?”

“Higher ranking members of our forces,” Cethin answered. “Orson and Riggs.”

“Higher ranking members,” Sorin repeated. “Your Commander is not here to meet with us?”

Razik seemed to stiffen slightly, and Scarlett’s face went serpentine. She’d obviously learned something. “I would like to meet the owner of the home I am staying in as well.”

“I am hoping after our meal tonight, you will reconsider and come to stay here, in the castle,” Cethin replied.

“Is Lord Razik your Second and your Hand?” Cyrus asked suddenly.

This question had everyone on that side of the table stilling as well as the Avonleyan king.

And everyone on Scarlett’s side of the table took notice.

Cethin’s ?ngers drummed once on the table in a mannerism so similar to Scarlett that it was hard to deny the two were related in some way at this point.

“No,” Cethin ?nally gritted out. “Razik is not my Second. He is my Third.”

“Surely not... a mortal,” Azrael piped in, the absurdity of that written across his face as his eyes darted to Hale.

“No,” Cethin said again. His ?ngers drummed as his eyes ran over everyone in their company, and Callan wanted to shrink back from what glimmered in his silver irises.

Threats of violence. Promises of death.

“Kailia is my Second,” Cethin ?nally said.

“And where is she? Is it not customary here for your Second to be here for such meetings?” Cyrus pressed.

“It is, but as already discussed, Avonleyan males are just as protective and possessive of their mates.”

“She is your wife,” Scarlett said, her eyes softening slightly.

“Wife and queen. Yes,” Cethin answered. “And she threw a godsdamn ?t about not being here.”

“That was not a ?t,” Razik muttered. “You two fought for nearly two hours.”

“Not helping, Raz,” Cethin snapped. “Until I know for sure that none of you are a threat to her—”

“You keep her out of sight,” Scarlett cut in. “Gods. Mother hens everywhere.”

“Out of sight is one way to put it,” Razik said with a small smirk.

“Now that we are not on a ship, we can up your training,” Eliza said from where she rode to Callan’s right. Drake was on his left as they made their way back to the estates. The heavy conversations were tabled while they ?nished lunch, everyone needing a break and time to absorb the new information they’d learned.

A Coventry heir. Here in Avonleya for decades. It still didn’t seem possible. He hadn’t given much thought to what would happen to the other two kingdoms at the end of all this. He’s been too focused on simply surviving. But if they managed to win, the other kingdoms would no longer have rulers.

Well, just Rydeon at this point. “Callan?”

“Yeah, sorry,” he said, Eliza’s voice pulling him from his thoughts. “That sounds great.”

She smirked at him. “It sounds great , does it?”

He huffed a small laugh. “As great as getting my ass handed to me daily can be,” he agreed.

The smirk on her face lasted a few more seconds before it faded away, her gaze going back to the road they were following. She hadn’t trained him since the battle on the ships, since Nakoa had been killed. Callan had continued to practice and train as well as he could on his own, but he’d been waiting for her to come to him. He didn’t want to push too much when she was grieving.

“You train with a Fae?”

Hale was riding ahead of them, one of the soldiers—Riggs—with him. Hale was peering back over his shoulder at Callan.

“It seemed prudent to do so,” Callan answered.

“They ?nally came for your kingdom too,” Hale said. A statement, not a question. “I wondered when they would strike. I am surprised they did so this quickly. They waited nearly ?fty years before going for Rydeon.”

Callan cleared his throat as Hale fell back some. Drake dropped back, Eliza with him, so the Toreall King could ride beside Callan. “Yes. Scarlett kind of forced their hand and moved their timeline up.”

“You seem to know the Fae Queen fairly well,” Hale observed, picking up on the ?rst name basis he was on with her.

“You could say that,” Callan agreed.

There was a brief pause before Hale said, “And you have a sister?”

Callan nodded. “Eva. She is six.”

Hale made a sound of acknowledgment before saying, “If you would be willing, I would like the opportunity to visit at some point. About what it is like across the sea. The kingdoms. As you can imagine, I do not know much. I never saw any of my kingdom outside of the little village I was hidden away in.”

Callan glanced at him quickly before focusing ahead once more. “I only traveled to Toreall a few times, but yes. I can try and answer any questions you have.”

They continued on in casual conversation, heading for Hale’s estate. In addition to Eliza, Rayner was with them. Briar and Sawyer were going back to the other estate. He did not know what Scarlett and the others were doing.

Hale nodded to the two guards as they approached his home. It was very similar to the Commander’s estate, perhaps a little smaller. The yard was kept, various trees around the property providing shade from the sun. There were a few footpaths that led around the house, and as they moved along the main road to the front of the house, the sound of children could be heard in the distance.

Hale smiled. “They must have found the hedge maze.”

“Hedge maze?” Callan asked.

Hale nodded. “It is in the garden around the back. A large maze. My father had it made for me when we first came to Avonleya. I cannot count how many hours I spent memorizing it. Then my father found an Avonleyan with earth magic, and he had him come and change the entire thing. He did that every time I became too familiar with the layout.”

Callan found himself laughing at the idea and could imagine doing the same when he’d been younger.

He was dismounting when he heard his name being called. He turned just in time to catch Eva as she ?ung herself at him. The horse whinnied behind him, shifting nervously.

“Eva, you must be careful around animals. You know this,” he chided gently.

“Sorry, Cal,” she said, her chin dropping.

He smoothed a hand over her hair. It was braided intricately down one side, laying over her shoulder, but stray hair was already framing her face. “What have you been up to today?”

She huffed. “Tava says I need to resume my studies. She made all of us do arithmetic for a whole hour,” she whined.

Callan fought the urge to grin, his lips twitching. “Did she now? Lady Tava is right, you know. Your studies are important.”

Eva stuck her bottom lip out in a pout. “I knew you would take her side. You always take her side.”

“I do not always take her side,” Callan sighed, crouching down to look up into her face. He lightly ?icked her lower lip with his ?nger. “This, however, is very unbecoming of a princess.” Eva quickly sucked her lip back in, but her arms crossed with the same attitude. “I did not always enjoy my studies either, but they were still important,” he tried.

“Tava said the same thing,” she mumbled.

“And were you made to do your studies the entirety of the day?”

“No,” Eva answered, her voice still bordering on whiny, until she perked up slightly. “Tava also let me ride by myself today.”

“ Lady Tava,” Callan corrected.

Eva’s brows scrunched. “Will you still make me call her Lady Tava once you are married?”

Callan rocked back, nearly falling on his ass. How was he supposed to explain to a six-year-old that his courting had all been a ruse? That the actual courting had only been for a few weeks and had ended in disaster?

Another child called Eva’s name, effectively distracting her as she looked over her shoulder for the source, waving at another little girl. She turned back to Callan, ?dgeting from foot to foot. “May I go now?”

He smiled, grateful for the interruption saving him from having to answer her question. “Go play, Eva,” he answered, pushing back to his feet. “I will come ?nd you when it is time to return to the other estate for dinner.”

She was gone in the next blink, her braid ?ying out behind her.

Callan turned to see where the others had gone and found Hale watching him closely.

“You and Lady Tava are engaged?” Hale asked.

“No,” Callan answered quickly, looking for Drake. He could only assume Rayner had gone in search of Tula, and who knew where Eliza had disappeared to.

“Courting?”

Callan shook his head. “Eva wishes we were,” he replied, far more subdued than he intended. Hale studied him a moment longer before nodding slowly. “Where is Drake?”

“I believe he went to ?nd Lady Tava,” Hale answered, gesturing to a path to their left in the same direction Eva had run off in. “Shall we?”

The two kings made their way around the back of the house where large hedges indeed ran. They were tall, reaching above Callan’s head, and they seemed to go on forever. He spotted Drake speaking with Tava on a bench near one of them, and as he and Hale made their way closer, Tava spotted them and immediately stood.

She dipped her head when they stopped in front of her. “Your Majesty,” she greeted softly.

Callan’s lips pressed together at the title. “Lady Tava,” he said tightly. He saw Drake frown out of the corner of his eye, looking back and forth between them.

She held his gaze for a fraction of a second before turning to Hale and bowing her head to him. “Lord Coventry.”

Hale smiled warmly at her. “I told you to call me Hale,” he answered.

And something in Callan’s chest tightened when her cheeks heated just a touch. He knew she wasn’t blushing for Hale himself. She was used to being in the background, seen and then ignored. Any attention could make her blush like that. It wasn’t for Hale... right?

“Did you try the maze?” Hale asked, a hint of mischief in his tone.

Tava laughed. “I did not dare,” she answered, her hands clasping in front of her. “I could not risk getting lost in there for hours.”

“Perhaps after dinner we can tackle it together. All of us,” he added, addressing Callan and Drake.

“That hardly seems fair,” she countered. “You know the layout of the maze.”

Hale seemed to consider this for a moment before he said, “You are right. I will contact someone to change it in the next day or two. We will then all be on even footing.”

She smiled at him, and Callan was grateful it wasn’t her real smile but her demure one that had been drilled into her since she was a child. “That would be lovely.”

“I look forward to it,” Hale answered. He glanced towards the house. “I have some matters to take care of this afternoon, but I will see all of you soon. Please do not hesitate to ask any of my staff if you need anything.”

After Hale was out of earshot, Drake turned to Callan. “What do you make of everything we learned today?”

“What do I make of Hale being the rightful Toreall king?” Callan asked, rubbing at his jaw. “I do not know what a person makes out of that. It is a good thing, I suppose. Assuming the people of Toreall will believe his story.” He pushed out a harsh breath. “I will have my own challenges to worry about if we win this war. Starting with how do I convince a kingdom full of people I did not abandon them but went to get help?”

“If we win this war, I think that will be evident enough, don’t you?” Drake asked, his arms folding across his chest.

“There are so many variables,” Callan said. “So many things to consider, and I do not have any resources at my disposal. None of my father’s advisors. My personal guards. I have... nothing.”

The words fell from his lips as he realized Tava had slipped away.

“You know I will help in any way I can,” Drake said. “Tava too.”

He knew that. He knew Tava wouldn’t let whatever this thing was between them, or rather lack thereof at this point, impede on helping the people of Windonelle, but he also knew she wouldn’t be as outspoken as she had been before. She would fall back into her role of docile Lady, following commands from the men in her life. Following commands from her king. She would go back to working in the background.

And what is it you do want, Callan?

Not that. He sure as fuck did not want that.

But he had nothing. Nothing to offer her. Nothing to give but a shattered future, a growing emptiness in his soul, and a darkness that was threatening to take over the light.

And who would stick around for that?